Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Amanda Tucker uses eclipse glasses to look at the partial eclipse over Clovis last October as her friend Valerie Smale tracks the eclipse's progress using an app on her phone.
Most of us will step outside and look up when we know there's an eclipse. Jaslyn Gilbert and Kilian von Bibra are going beyond that – in this case, about 500 miles beyond.
The Portales couple plans to make the seven-hour drive to San Antonio, Texas, so they can witness Monday's solar eclipse. That's expected to be an ideal location to experience the moon totally blocking out the sun, which only happens a few times in a lifetime.
Millions of people are expected to travel to see the celestial event, which will present itself in a 115-mile stretch across Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. From eastern New Mexico, the closest vantage point will be the area around San Antonio and Waco in Texas. The eclipse is expected to last about 4 ½ minutes, starting a little before 12:30 p.m. New Mexico time. Depending on the weather, a partial eclipse should be visible in eastern New Mexico about that time.
Gilbert and von Bibra are becoming regulars at eclipse parties. They joined family members from California last October for a partial eclipse on a ranch near Pep south of Portales.
Von Bibra said his family plans to travel from California again to meet them in Texas.
"We've always been big on traveling and enjoying road trips," von Bibra said.
"His family has always been interested in astronomy and space, so it always fits in naturally for them," Gilbert said.
An avid photographer, she has caught the bug, too. She said she has taken the extra precaution in getting improved solar lenses for her cameras. She doesn't want to miss a single moment of the historical event and is looking forward to quality family time.
"I'm sure there will be some 'ooos' and 'awws,' and hopefully some tearing of excitement," Gilbert said.
"I think it will be a road trip to remember," von Bibra said.
Gilbert said she expects the roads to be busy this weekend as everyone will be "wanting to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event."
"I think people who can't travel, I think people should step outside and see with their glasses from Clovis and Portales. ... I think everyone should step outside and see it, because it will be another 20 years before this happens again," Gilbert said.
A total solar eclipse won't be visible across the U.S. again until August 2044.
